


Take The Risk

by Valecita



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M, RageHappy, Romance, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-27
Updated: 2014-10-27
Packaged: 2018-02-22 19:54:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2519813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valecita/pseuds/Valecita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If someone had to describe Michael and Gavin’s relationship, they would probably say many things. Playful, honest, hilarious, simple… all of which are true. However, if either of them had to do the same thing, they’d say it’s intricate. </p><p>Michael and Gavin have liked each other since day one. However, they don't act on it in fear it'll ruin their friendship and interfere with their work. The pressure is too much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take The Risk

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first fic in this fandom, so I'm really nervous. I'd like to point out that English isn't my first language, but don't let it discourage you! I'm not that bad :P Feel free to drop a comment with criticism and/or opinions :) Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also follow me on Tumblr! My username is valeinpsycholand ^_^

If someone had to describe Michael and Gavin’s relationship, they would probably say many things. Playful, honest, hilarious, simple… all of which are true. However, if either of them had to do the same thing, they’d say it’s intricate. Quite the opposite of what most people would think. You see, they’ve known each other for a few years and what they show to the public eye is synchronized, almost choreographic. They know their lines, moves and steps to make it look simple, honest and playful. They show the world what the world wants to see. Well, not everyone. And especially not themselves. 

From the moment they saw each other, both knew they’d be best friends. They clicked immediately and it showed; in Let’s Plays, videos they’ve made together, RT Life… everywhere. Everyone can tell they have something special going on. 

Gavin can remember perfectly the moment they first laid eyes on one another. He remembers how Michael had looked back at him with the same shimmering eyes.

* * *

“Gavin, this is Michael. Michael, this is Gavin. He’ll be joining Achievement Hunter,” Burnie told Michael. “So make him feel at home.” And _did_ he. 

Gavin recalls the moment he mustered up enough courage to ask Michael to join him for coffee or maybe a drink sometime. He can picture Michael’s smile perfectly in his mind and hear the _of course_ it followed right after. The clinking of glasses, the lights around them and the music that seemed too far away. He can remember the looks they exchanged all night and how they ended up at Michael’s place (or Jack’s for that matter). Two weeks working full time for Rooster Teeth and Gavin was already trying to get into his coworker’s pants.

“Gavin,” Michael said as he sat down on the couch, patting the space next to him so as to tell Gavin to sit as well, which he happily obliged. Michael licked his lips and shook a few curls of hair from his face; Gavin thought it was endearing. “So…”

“So…” Gavin smiled and relaxed back on the couch, his veins pumping with alcohol and adrenaline. He had been with men before, but this time it seemed different. Michael was his coworker and cute as fuck, as he had to admit. There was something about him that Gavin couldn’t shake off, something about his personality, his way of acting around people. Michael seemed like a complex person and Gavin wanted to figure him out completely. 

Michael smiled back at the Brit and shook his head. Gavin could almost see a thought form in Michael’s mind by the way he was looking at him, and stayed in silence as he waited. The moment dragged on for a few seconds and Michael laughed. “This feels good. The buzz and shit.”

Gavin nodded in agreement. It did feel good; it made him feel giddy and excited. “Absolutely top. Especially after that…” he trailed off. Was this a date? Just a friendly night out? 

“Date?” Michael asked as if had read Gavin’s mind, which was quite a relief, in a way. He didn’t want to ask, really. “I mean, it’s whatever you want it to be, really. I don’t know if you’re into dudes or anything. If you’re not–”

“I am, I am,” Gavin assured. “I go both ways. I just didn’t know if you were, either.”

Michael seemed relieved to hear that. “Yeah. That’s cool.” His smile faltered and he put his hand on Gavin’s knee. He seemed to think for a moment before he leaned in closer, his eyes fixated on Gavin’s. “I’ve wanted to kiss you all night, you know?” he slurred slightly, his voice low, a mere whisper. 

Gavin felt as if any movement now could ruin the moment, so he stayed still; the rise and fall of his chest the only obvious movement. He was nervous, oh god he was. His stomach was in knots and his hands were in fists. Was he supposed to lean in and kiss the brunet? Was he allowed to? Even if alcohol ran in through his veins, making it all fussy and weird, in his mind it was clear that their relationship could not go beyond anything friendly and professional. What if they didn’t hit it off? What if it didn’t work out? It would make things awkward and difficult. They’d become strangers again and he didn’t like to pretend to get along with someone just for the camera or the sake of the company and viewers. He wasn’t a good actor and he knew his façade would fall apart in a second; one, because he was attracted to Michael and anyone who knew him or saw him often could tell; and two, because his body was a traitorous one and would sell him out instantly the very moment he laid eyes on Michael again in front of anyone by doing something stupid. 

He was royally fucked. 

Still, the moment he noticed Michael leaning in closer, he put a hand on Michael’s chest, pointedly avoiding the disappointment reflected in his eyes. “Michael…” he began, and sighed. 

Michael furrowed his brow in confusion for a moment. “I…”

“Listen. I want to,” Gavin began to explain and dropped his hand. “God, do I want to kiss you right now, but I think it wouldn’t be appropriate, you know. Given the circumstances and all.”

Michael shrugged, not hiding his disappointment. “I know.” He sighed. “Fuck, sorry. I’m sorry. I just… you’re really hot,” he laughed, moving back and away from Gavin a few inches. 

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Gavin reassured, feeling his stomach settle down a little. The hype from feeling wanted was still heavy in his chest, and although he wanted nothing more than to take things further with Michael right now, he knew he couldn’t.

* * *

And years later, he still feels the same way. 

Sitting next to Michael almost every day hasn’t been easy. He hoped his attraction for his friend would subside, but if he’s being honest with himself, it never did. If anything, his feelings only got stronger and he can barely keep himself away from Michael nowadays. Especially knowing the brunet returns his feelings.

Yes. They’ve talked about it a million times since that night, hoping it would make things a little easier, because, you know, talking about stuff does. But it hasn’t. Talking has only led to them fantasizing about what they’d do if they made a move on each other.

And tonight is one of those times.

The Achievement Hunter crew is out tonight, celebrating another successful Let’s Play: the 100th episode of Minecraft. They’ve made it this far in the game and a night out is perfect to celebrate this milestone. 

Griffon is there and so is Caiti. The extended AH family, as Gavin likes to call them. He looks over at Griffon and Geoff, and the way they look at each other makes his stomach feel heavy. He wonders if the beer has anything to do with it, but he knows it doesn’t. It’s just the love radiating from the couple that makes Gavin feel a little jealous. Jealous that he can’t have that with Michael, that their relationship will always be a platonic fantasy; shared and talked about in quiet whispers when no one’s around to eavesdrop. 

His hand twitches, and he holds back the sudden need to hold Michael’s under the table. It’d be so easy. Just play pretend, act as if they’re a real, happy couple, just like Geoff and Griffon, like Jack and Caiti. He wants to turn to his right and kiss Michael the way he’s seen his friends do all the time. He wants to not care. But he does. And so does Michael.

He looks around for a second, taking in the oak walls of the bar they’re currently in, and down at the green tablecloth that tickles his legs whenever he moves them up and down rapidly, nervously. He takes a sip of his beer, the glass cold in his hand. 

He remembers those talks with his friend. Those shared fantasies in a game called, “what would you do if…?”. It’s his and Michael’s favorite game. “ _I would touch you the way I want to and I would hold your hand in front of everyone. I would jump from my chair and kiss you soundly whenever we do something cool in a game together._ ” Gavin remembers each of those fantasies and sometimes he pretends they’re real; that they’re memories and not just a figment of their imagination. 

Gavin especially likes those kissing fantasies. The million ways they’d build up to kissing and the way they would touch each other as they did. It’s so unfair, he thinks, that Geoff and Jack can have that. Sure, they’re not married to AH members, but still. And then he ponders, why can’t they? Like, really, why? Half their viewers ship them already, it’d be good publicity. Besides, it’s not like they don’t ever act coupley in videos. _My boi! You’re my boi, Gavin!_ They don’t exactly hide their feelings, especially not lately. Still, he knows it’s choreographed. It’s a dance on the edge of being playful and downright obvious. A line so thin it could break under his feet any second. 

He sighs. Before he can take another sip of his beer and resume paying attention to what everyone’s talking about, he feels fingers on the back of his hand. He looks down and sees his own hand resting on his thigh, and another hand – Michael’s – positioning itself on top of it. Gavin looks up at Michael’s face, and he sees uneasiness in his eyes. He can tell Michael’s not sure, but Gavin thinks it’s such a sweet gesture that he can’t help himself and intertwines their fingers together. He gives Michael a warm smile, and Michael mirrors him, the uneasiness leaving his eyes to leave place to glee, and a shimmer that makes Gavin’s stomach grow butterflies. He wants to kiss Michael so badly right now; he’d be happy with just a tiny, tight peck on the lips. Hell, he’d be happy with anything at this point. But this’ll do for now.  


Their hands stay that way the rest of the evening.

* * *

By the time they’re all ready to leave, they’re quite tipsy. Michael offers to give Gavin a ride as he didn’t drink, to which Gavin almost declines, except Geoff gives him that all knowing look and Gavin changes his mind. Having your boss practically shove you to your love interest is something that doesn’t happen every day. 

Gavin knows he should say no, but he can’t bring himself to when Michael asks him if he wants to stay over. He’s feeling strange tonight; the buzz the beer gave him is definitely taking its toll on his ability to make decisions. Michael’s his weakness and now, with no one else around, he can drop the act and indulge himself in his fantasies, if only mentally. Tonight, however, he wants Michael to play along; he wants the brunet to give in. Yet, he knows that won’t be the case. It’s always one of them who’s sober enough or unsure enough, and they’ve always relied on that fact to stop themselves from things going further than simple fantasies.

They go into Michael’s empty apartment and Michael flickers the lights on. Gavin sits on the couch as he watches his friend go to the kitchen. “Beer?” he hears from the distance.

“Sure,” Gavin replies and hears the refrigerator door close with a thud. The clinking of beer bottles fills the air as Michael enters the living room, and Gavin can’t help but openly ogle his friend. He will never understand how so many people think he’s the hotter one of the two; Michael is definitely a sight. 

“Here,” Michael hands Gavin one of the bottles and moves to the TV. “Wanna play something?”

Gavin nods and watches as Michael bends over to pick up a game. He has to stop himself from launching forward and grabbing Michael’s ass. 

“Halo?”

“Sounds good.”

Michael puts the game into his Xbox and hands Gavin a controller, their fingers touching for a moment. He sits next to Gavin and waits for the game to load. A moment of silence passes and they begin to play. They’re on the same team, which makes it a bit more comfortable and laid back for them. 

“You look hot tonight,” Michael says, his eyes still on the screen.

Gavin gulps and takes a deep breath. “So do you.” The game is on, he notices. They’ll talk again about what they want to do to each other. It’s therapeutic, really. He doubts he’ll be able to stop if Michael decides to make a move, because tonight it’s him who’s weak; it’s him who will cave in if Michael doesn’t have restraint. Michael’s only downed a third of his beer and Gavin’s already had three besides the one he’s drinking now. “I liked the hand holding.”

He can see Michael smile from the corner of his eye. “I couldn’t help myself. Geoff and Griffon were making me jealous, so I thought why the fuck not.”

Gavin smiles widely at that. He isn’t the only one who got jealous. “Same here. I wanted to do that, but I wasn’t sure you’d be okay with it if I did, especially in front of everybody.”

“Honestly, I don’t give a fuck.” Michael clears his throat. “No one saw, anyway.”

“But what if they– shit!” Gavin curses as his character gets killed. He waits to respawn. “What if they had?”

“I think Geoff saw,” Michael shrugs. “It’s platonic, though,” he says and glances at Gavin. His character is hiding, so he’s not worried about getting killed. “Right?”

Gavin licks his lips. “Yeah,” he answers in a whisper. “I wish it didn’t have to be,” he adds, lowly. His character rounds a corner, and he takes a breath in as he feels a hand touch his thigh, his fingers dipping in the fabric gently. “Michael…” Gavin begins as a warning. This can’t be happening, not now. He won’t be able to contain himself, he knows it. Michael’s not even drunk, he should know better. He should stop and keep playing the game. Gavin grips his controller tightly and closes his eyes for a second.

“Gavin, you have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now,” Michael breathes out. 

“Michael…”

Michael moves closer, the game forgotten. “I would kiss your neck,” he says as he leans closer to Gavin’s neck, his breath tickling his skin. Gavin can feel the goose bumps rising all over his body. “Your jaw.” Michael rubs his nose against the stubble on Gavin’s jaw. “Your lips.” 

“Michael…” Gavin chants, the only word to seemingly make sense in his brain. It’s all he needs; Michael’s name. It’s all he wants to say for the rest of his life; if it were up to him, he would. Breathe it out as Michael kisses him all over, as he kisses Michael all over. 

Michael cups the Brit’s face in his hands and makes him look at him. Gavin opens his eyes and all he can see is fire. There’s fire everywhere; under his skin, crawling up his spine and just everywhere. He can almost see flames flickering in Michael’s eyes, as well. He wants to give in, lean forward and capture his friend’s lips in his own, bite and lick at them. He wants to eat him up, every inch of his body, and swallow him whole. Michael’s candy and Gavin’s addicted, even if he’s never tasted him. 

Michael leans forward, his lips now on Gavin’s ear, making him shiver. “Please,” he whispers.

Gavin wants to say yes. Fuck, he really does. In his slightly inebriated state, that line they’ve drawn to separate reality from fantasy is blurred, and he wonders for a second if it would matter, really, that they kissed. Would it be so awful? He’s wanted to for the longest time, so why the fuck not?

He turns his head, his nose bumping into Michael’s, and looks into the brunet’s eyes. He puts a hand on Michael’s chest and softly pushes him back to lie on the couch, before crawling on top of his friend’s body. He can feel the roughness of his pants as they drag against Michael’s. The look on Michael’s face almost makes him stop altogether. Can he do it? Should he?

Michael’s hands move to hold Gavin’s hips, gently, but pointedly, dragging him forward. He’s hard already – Gavin can feel it, and he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. 

“Gavin,” Michael says lowly. 

Gavin stops for a second and looks down at Michael, taking in the scene before him. Even with alcohol in his system, he knows they can’t. They have this choreography, a whole play they act in on a daily basis; he can’t just throw it out the window because Michael, lovely and beautiful Michael, is right there, lying on the couch with that face and that body and…

Gavin’s gonna lose it.

“Michael, wait,” he says, despite himself. He’ll probably hate himself in the morning. Well, at least fifty percent of him will.

Michael seems to notice Gavin’s uncertainty and grabs the hem of his shirt, stopping him from moving. “Wait,” he says urgently. “Listen, I know we have this whole platonic thing going on, but…”

Gavin shakes his head. “I’m sorry, I’m just… I’m a bit drunk and I don’t think I’ll feel the same way in the morning.”

Michael suddenly widens his eyes, seemingly offended. “What do you mean?”

“Not about you, stupid. I mean _this_. What we’re doing right now.” 

Michael looks slightly disappointed, and Gavin can’t blame him, not really. They stay silent for a moment and Michael speaks, his voice unsure. “We don’t have to touch,” he says, as if that makes all the sense in the world. No touching, not real, right?

Gavin considers this option for a moment; maybe it _could_ work. Maybe they could do something about all this without regretting it all in the morning. Or maybe they would, but right now, the prospect of being able to do this with Michael the way he's only dared to dream about seems like the most fantastic idea ever. It's perfectly logical, too, isn't it? 

"No touching?" Gavin asks. 

"No touching," replies Michael. He gets up from the couch and takes Gavin's hand, pulling him up as well and guiding them both to Gavin's bedroom. Their steps are clumsy, unsure, but Michael seems determined. It's in the way his hand holds the blond’s so tightly, how their skins touch and burn, and how their heartbeats surely follow the same rhythm as their steps do; stomping hard, nervous... excited. 

Michael leads Gavin to lie on the bed, their hands never parting, on their sides, and look into each other's eyes. Gavin lets out a ragged breath and he wonders, through an alcohol filled fog in his mind, if he can do this. He's not _that_ drunk - not really, but the fact that this is actually happening weighs down on his chest. 

He watches Michael let go of his hand and undo his pants. Before he can catch a glimpse of his best friend's cock, he stops him by holding his wrist in place, and wonders why in the world he is so nervous and unsure. He's being given the opportunity of a lifetime, but his stupid heart seems to no believe it. "Sure?" He simply asks, and as soon as Michael nods, he lets go and mirrors his friend's motions. He undoes his pants and, instead of revealing himself, he shoves his entire hand into his underwear, grabbing his cock tightly, eliciting a meek sound from his throat. 

The light coming from the living room is dim, but it's enough for them to see each other. Gavin is turned on, that's obvious, but as he watches his friend, laid down in front of him with only a few inches separating them, Gavin can distinguish a different emotion; one that isn't pooled in his lower stomach, but rather in the middle of his solar plexus, right under where his ribs end down his chest. It's so strong, maybe even more so than his arousal. It's warm and slightly painful, with a tint of despair, though barely noticeable. His cheeks warm and redden as his hand moves up and down the shaft of his cock. Michael's eyes never leave his, which makes the strange feeling even stronger and more upsetting. Gavin has a feeling that he knows what it is, but refuses to even think about it, let alone admit it. 

Michael's little puffs of air coming from his mouth mimic Gavin's, the only sounds in the room aside from the fumbling of skin against fabric. It's so surreal, this moment. "Gavin..." Michael whispers, seemingly lost in his actions and Gavin's eyes. 

Gavin bites his lower lip, trying to hold in any word that could come out of his mouth. He knows anything could ruin this, or possibly turn the events into something he's not quite ready to sit through. However, that feeling warms up his ribs, making the air, and therefore words, come out, regardless of what his mind is trying to do. "I wish I could touch you." He doesn't even have the time to feel ashamed or scold himself as Micheal sneaks up his free hand, the one under him as he lies on his side, and opens it, silently offering it to his best friend. Gavin looks at it for a second, his movements halting. Would holding Michael's hand be too much? Would that be crossing a line? He thinks fuck it, and mirrors Michael's actions, and holds his hand, palm sides up, their fingers intertwined. As soon as their skins touch, the warmth spreads all throughout Gavin's body and he instantly knows he's fucked. The moment their hands touch and their eyes meet finally puts a name on the emotion that seems to take over his body and mind and possibly his entire life at the moment. He feels the wind knocked out of him for a second, and it takes all of his strength not to send it all to hell and kiss Michael right then and there. It would be so easy, too. He’s sure Michael wouldn’t be opposed to the idea, either, as this moment was woven by him. Except it would probably change everything; their friendship and this agreement they have. So he stops himself from doing anything he might regret later on and focuses on his hand movements and how Michael’s eyes fill up with fire again, and something else, though Gavin can’t exactly put a finger on it. But it doesn’t matter, not now.

Their movements are frantic at first, a race to get off. But as minutes pass – Gavin doesn’t know how many – their rhythm slows down, almost a languid stroking, and their faces come closer, their foreheads touching, noses about to. Every now and then, a particularly pleasurable stroke will make one of them tense up, hands grip tighter and little moans will escape, a raspy sound so meek that if it weren’t for the fact that the apartment is completely silent, they wouldn’t be able to hear it.

It takes them about ten minutes to finally feel that electric tickle. Michael, before he comes undone, lets go of Gavin’s hand and, Gavin’s sure they’ll cross that line – Michael moves on top of Gavin, straddling his hips. It takes Gavin completely by surprise, but it’s not a bad feeling, because in a few seconds, Michael comes, his fingers preventing any cum from spilling onto his pants, or worse, on Gavin. It’s exactly that sight that sends Gavin over the edge and comes as well right after the lifts up his shirt so he only makes a mess of his stomach.

Now it’s all ragged breaths and pounding heart beats. Michael lets himself fall next to Gavin on the bed. He reaches for a box of Kleenex that sits on his nightstand and both clean themselves. They lie on their backs, hands suddenly making their way to find one another, and their fingers intertwine once again in the near darkness of the room; the room which now smells like sex, like sweat and cum and pheromones. If only they’d had real sex, but this’ll do. 

Gavin wonders for a moment if this release will make the need for his friend subside and disappear, but when he steals a glance at his side, his heart swells and he knows it won’t.

He is definitely fucked.

* * *

They don’t talk about it after it happens. Not after a day, not after a week… hell, not after three weeks now and Gavin’s first hope that he would get over Michael is completely shattered by now, as he can finally admit to himself – though not to anyone else – that he is indeed utterly and undeniably in love with Michael Jones.

Fuck, he doesn’t remember ever being in love with anyone before, and he’s wondered in these past three weeks if maybe, just maybe, this isn’t real love and just a dumb infatuation; an out of control crush. But he knows better, he knows his feelings run deeper than that. It’s really infuriating, if he’s honest with himself; he’s tried not to get too invested in thinking about it, but sometimes when they’re working side by side and Michael gives him that stupid fucking smile, Gavin knows. Before all this, before that night happened, Gavin would have called their relationship a tad bit special. But now he can’t even call it anything. It’s just that not talking about it makes it all so unclear that he doesn’t know where they stand. What are Michael’s feelings? Has he thought about it? Ever? Has he ever found himself in his bed, that very same bed they lied on three weeks ago, looking up at the ceiling above him, focusing on that fire inside his chest? Can chests catch on fire? Gavin’s has certainly felt like it might explode more than once, especially at night, before he falls asleep, those few minutes where it’s dark and silent and his mind runs a million miles a second and all he can think of is Michael.  


Michael Jones.

That mincy little prick; Gavin almost wants to hate him. But he can’t, not when Michael looks at him like that, even when he calls him a fucking moron and an idiot; even then, he knows the feelings he holds in his chest never can never change, never falter.

He’s caught himself daydreaming more than once, too. Swimming in subjunctives of woulds and coulds, of hypothetical scenarios where everything is perfect, where they kiss and fuck and hold hands and tell the entire world that Gavin Free and Michael Jones love each other. 

But oh, life’s cruel. Or maybe it’s his own cowardice that doesn’t let him do anything about it. He won’t even talk about it, because he’s scared; he’s scared, as Michael hasn’t made any comment on the subject, that he’s over it. He got off on a half assed jacking session, and that’s more than enough to get by, so he’s probably over it.

“Gavin!”

Gavin jumps in his seat and looks to his left, where Ray’s sitting.

“Jesus fuck, Gavin. I’ve been trying to catch your attention for like a minute now,” Ray says. 

“Are you alright?”

The blond shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he deadpans, though Ray’s expression clearly says he’s not buying it.

“Okay, well. I was trying to ask you if you wanted to head to lunch soon. It’s almost two and I’m in the mood for something spicy.”

As if on cue, Gavin’s stomach growls and he laughs. “Sounds top. Let me finish this and we can go.”

* * *

Later that day, Gavin is sitting in the Achievement Hunter office when Burnie pokes his head inside. “Hey Gav.”

Gavin looks up. “Yes?”

“It’s almost time for the podcast. You ready?”

Gavin looks at the clock in his computer. “Oh, yeah, sure. I’ll be there in a sec.”

As soon as Burnie leaves, he prepares himself get into podcast mode. He really needs to get Michael out of his head as soon as possible, because he doesn’t want to alert anyone, especially not Burnie. He’s a great guy, which tends to make it difficult to have any sort of problem, because he gets worried. See, Burnie isn’t nosy, but he does get worried about those he loves, so whenever anyone in the company looks too tired or sick or even a little distressed, he gets into dad mode and tries to make that person feel good again. Gavin usually likes that about Burnie, but right now he’s not ready to out himself and tell him about his feelings for his coworker. Geoff’s the only one who knows, though not because he told him, but because Gavin is really fucking obvious. The fact that they live together and are such good friends makes it even easier for Geoff to know what’s going on. He doesn’t know the details, but he knows enough.

A couple of minutes pass and a dark haired head pokes in. “Gav?”

It’s Michael; Gavin could recognize that voice in a loud crowd. He looks at the door quickly and immediately feels like a complete loser for doing that. “Yes?”

Is Michael nervous? He looks like it, as he scratches his upper arm in a way Gavin’s seen him do more than once when he has something serious to say and doesn’t want to talk about it. 

“I’m staying late ‘cause I gotta record a Rage Quit video. Want me to drop you off after you’re done with the podcast?”

Gavin’s chest warms up at the question. “Sure. Thanks, boi.” He smiles, and Michael returns it.

“Okay, well, I’ll be here then. Text me when you’re done.” And then he’s gone.

The next hour and a half goes by so slowly, Gavin swears it’s been way longer than that. Regardless of how nervous he is, he’s managed to put up an act in front of the podcast crew, which seems to not have worried anyone. He takes his phone out of his pocket and texts Michael a simple “ready when you are”. 

“Meet you at the parking lot in five” he receives a few seconds later. 

Five minutes later Gavin walks into the parking lot and he sees Michael standing there. It’s dark outside and a little cold, it reminds him of England all of a sudden. It’s not just the bleak weather; it’s the strange feeling that invades his system; the same feeling he was meaning to escape when he left to pursue his career in the United States. If someone had told him he’d be standing here, in this very same parking lot, he would have laughed until his sides hurt. But now, under the dark, cloudy sky, he wonders if staying in England would have been better for him; away from all of this confusion and pain, from this uncertainty that has him walking on eggshells most of the time, especially around Michael. After all, all of it is caused by him.

He walks over to Michael and smiles softly, and he receives the same smile. It’s Michael’s smile the sole reason Gavin doesn’t run away. 

They get into the car and fasten their seat belts. Michael is quick to turn on the radio, a song neither of them knows comes up and, aside from the music, the car is silent. It’s only a few minutes until they reach Geoff’s house, and Gavin can’t help but feel disappointed that Michael hasn’t said anything about, well, anything. Not a word about what happened three weeks ago, not about anything regarding _them_. So he sighs and unfastens his seat belt, ready to leave, when a hand on his arm stops him from moving. Gavin looks to his left, curious and a bit surprised.

Michael opens his mouth, nervousness written all over his face, a trait so unnatural on him; Gavin’s curiosity peaks. “Wait, I…” he trails off. He licks his lips and takes a deep breath. “I wanted to talk to you.”

Gavin furrows his eyebrows as Michael’s hand drops from his arm. “Okay…”

“I didn’t want to say anything, ‘cause I’m too chicken shit to actually talk about serious stuff, but… what happened three weeks ago, I…” He sighs. “I let it get out of control. I guess I want to say I’m sorry. I know we had this agreement…” Had? “…and I ruined it. I let my body talk and I didn’t really stop to think that it might, I dunno.”

Gavin’s shoulders sag and he can’t being disappointed. What was he expecting, though? For Michael to confess his undying love? Of course he wouldn’t do that. So Gavin sighs, shrugs and gives his friend a half smile. He’s pretended to not have any feelings for Michael before, so this is just the same, except with a little more heartache. It feels like a breakup of sorts, and it hurts. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Thanks for the ride,” he says and leaves the car.

However Michael’s not stupid and he definitely noticed Gavin’s sad demeanor. He turns off the engine and gets out of the car as well, and follows Gavin. “Gavin, wait!”

Gavin wants to stop, turn around and reassure Michael that everything’s fine. But he can’t. He only stops when a hand lies on his shoulder and turns him around. 

“Gavin, what is it?”

Michael must _be_ a little stupid, though; either that or just blind. “Nothing, Michael.”

Michael shakes his head. "Then why do you look as if your dog got run over?"

Gavin sighs loudly. He feels sadness and anger mixed together; he can't bring himself to tell Michael the truth because he's a coward. Also, Michael pushing him into saying something - whatever that be - makes him feel vulnerable, which is not a feeling Gavin particularly likes; it just fuels his frustration with himself and the whole situation. 

This was supposed to be easy; they were supposed to vent to each other about their fantasies for one another, go home, have a wank and keep on going normally about their lives. But then, stupid Gavin, had to develop these feelings, and he had to weaken before Michael and give in to what he asked that night, three weeks ago. Gavin feels so dumb right now; he figures this is all his fault for not keeping his feelings at bay, for not having control over his own emotions and body. And he's suddenly really angry at everything, mostly at himself, but at Michael for pushing him. "There's bloody nothing wrong, Michael!" he yells, immediately regretting his outburst. Although, he has to admit it felt good. Fuck Michael for being him, for being so nice and wanting to do coupley things with Gavin, like holding his fucking hand and convincing Gavin to wank on Michael's bed. 

Michael throws his hands in the air in resignation. “Gavin, I know you’re lying. Why can’t you be fucking honest with me?” he says loudly, going back to his usual persona. Michael’s known for not being patient, especially with people beating around the bush. Either be straight forward or shut the fuck up, as he’s used to say. 

“You went about these past three weeks as if nothing ever happened, Michael!” Gavin yells back, growing exasperated with the way this conversation is moving. "That night happened and we never talked about it. And now it feels too weird; we're not the same anymore and it's bloody bullocks!"

“Well, you never brought it up, either!” Michael says, trying to defend himself from being blamed for something they're both equally guilty. 

Gavin shakes his head in defeat; Michael is right. He is absolutely right; Gavin never mentioned what happened three weeks ago, either. But he was scared, he still is. Michael is much better at being confrontational, and has a much better way with words than Gavin does. Gavin has strong opinions, and has a lot on his mind all the time, but he has to be prompted in order to share anything. He's not the type of person who goes about saying whatever comes to mind, let alone what he's feeling. And in this case, it's much harder, because this is Michael and because Gavin knows there's just too much at stake. All of which may be already ruined and lost. Still, he's too angry now to drop his act and give in. He wants to blame someone else, he's tired of feeling like shit all the time for having these feelings for his best friend, for acting like a lost puppy all the time whose sole motivation is following Michael around in search for attention. 

"Well then, what did you expect me to do, then?" he says loudly, not caring if anyone can hear them. Nosey neighbors mean nothing to him right now. "Pull you aside and ask you to talk about it?"

"Yes! That's exactly what you could've done, Gavin."

"You could've done the same thing instead of being a right arsehole, faffing about while waiting for me to do something!" Gavin yells in exasperation. 

"So we're now playing at pointing fingers, huh? Why didn't you come to me if it mattered to you so much? I work right next to you! I see you almost every day. You could've easily asked me about it, but you never did. And now that I brought it up, you get mad at me and I don't get why!"

Gavin's hands are shaking, and he doesn't know if it's because of the cold that threatens to seep into his skin and chip his bones or the anger that's managed to make its way to his limbs. He feels hot in the face, despite the temperature. "It's not so easy," he says lowly. 

"Why the fuck not?" Michael asks and crosses his arms. 

“Because I love you, Michael!” Gavin yells, his voice suddenly coarse due to the cold weather and incoming tears he’s keeping in. He doesn’t want to break down and cry in front of Michael; not now, not ever. It’s not because he’s sad or anything, not really; he’s exhausted and frustrated. He didn’t want to end up like this, outside of Geoff’s house, puffs of air coming from Gavin’s mouth floating around them in the cold, and him looking like a pathetic puppy, as he usually does. “That’s why I couldn’t say anything, and I’m so tired of feeling like I have to pretend all the time. I have to look at you almost every day and pretend you’re nothing but a friend to me. It’s bloody awful. And now I've bullocksed it." 

Michael’s silent for a moment, and all he can do is stare at his best friend. He’s breathing through his mouth, the cold making him shake slightly. Gavin doesn’t want to look at him in fear of what he might see. He’s so scared of rejection and of having fucked everything up, all because of his outburst. 

The awkward silence drags on, and it finally dawns on Gavin what just happened. He opened his big gob, made a fool out of himself and possibly freaked Michael out, judging by the way he’s still standing there, mouth ajar. 

“Listen,” Gavin says, finally. His body shaking from the cold and embarrassment. “Forget about it, okay, I was just–” he begins, but is quickly interrupted by Michael’s hand on his arm. He looks up to meet brown eyes staring back at him. 

“Wait,” Michael says, his voice soft, contrasting his words. He drops his hand and takes a step forward. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Gavin shrugs, his heart pounding against his ribcage rapidly. He’s almost sure he’s going to pass out. “You weren’t saying anything and I just…” He sighs.

Michael shakes his head, a smile forming on his face, those cute, little dimples adorning his cheeks, making Gavin’s heart swell up. He’s got it really bad, like he never has had before, and just as he had tried so hard to avoid. That was the original plan, anyway, to not get involved romantically or sexually with Michael. And then here they are, talking about feelings. "That doesn't matter. You should've said something, Gavin. It would've saved us so much time."

Gavin furrows his eyebrows in utter confusion. Saved them time? "Wha-"

In a swift movement, Michael’s body is pressed against Gavin’s, his hands cupping Gavin’s face. Gavin’s eyes widen as Michael’s face comes closer, and then their lips touch. Gavin can swear his heart skipped a beat.

It takes a moment for Gavin to wrap his head around the fact that they are here, lips locked in front of Geoff's house, surrounded by cold and chirping insects. However, Michael licks his bottom lip, and Gavin is thrown back to reality. They kiss slowly, taking in the moment and feeling of slightly chapped lips and languid tongues. Time seems to stop as they stand there in the cold, bodies pressed together. A few moments pass and they pull away. They are breathing rapidly, and Gavin can’t quite believe this is happening. Michael just kissed him. He kissed _him_. No one else. Not that it was impossible, but still. Nothing seemed to add up to this moment. The past three weeks convinced Gavin that his and Michael’s arrangement was no more. But now…

“I…”

Michael doesn’t step back. "I've wanted to do that since I first saw you in person," he says, his voice just above a mere whisper. His hands drop to hold Gavin's hips. His smile right now is the most hypnotizing thing Gavin has ever seen, and he can't help himself, because he's feeling the way Michael's smile looks. 

Gavin lets out a breathy laugh; he's just so fucking happy. He launches forward, closer to Michael, and kisses him again, their bodies as close as physics will allow. They stand there for a couple of minutes, just kissing in the cold. When they break apart, Michael stares at Gavin, absolutely dazed. His lips are swollen and his freckle peppered cheeks are red; he's never looked more beautiful to Gavin. 

Gavin grins and presses their foreheads together. "We're a couple of right mongs, aren't we?"

Michael laughs and nods. "Yeah, I guess we are. But no one says it's too late to turn it around and make it right."

Gavin nods in agreement. They do have time to make it all better and make up for all the time they've lost being coward and dumb. 

"I should go now, it's getting late and we have work in the morning," Michael says as he finally pulls back. His hands remain on Gavin's hips, though. 

Gavin nods and grins. Both lean forward for one last kiss and part ways. Gavin waves at Michael as he drives off and gets into the house once the car is out of sight. 

The moment he steps inside and turns on the lights, he jumps out of his skin as he sees Geoff appear out of nowhere. "Jeebus! Bloody- what the hell are you doing here in the dark? Jesus Christ!" he breathes out as he clutches at his chest. 

Geoff just smiles knowingly. "I'm sorry, buddy." He waits for Gavin to say something, but he never does. "So, how was your way back?" he asks, his voice rising in a singsong fashion. 

"It was fine," Gavin says as he takes off his jacket and hangs it in the hanger next to the front door. He makes his way to the kitchen, Geoff following suit. He opens the fridge and takes out a beer bottle. "What?" he asks as he looks for a bottle opener. 

Geoff is perched on the doorway, a goofy grin adorning his face. "Something you wanna tell me?"

Gavin wants to say no, but the smile that graces his face now gives it all away. He finds the opener and opens the bottle cap. He takes a swig, trying to call down the jittery butterflies in his stomach. "Well..." He grins. He can't lie to Geoff, and besides, he's the one person he trusts the most. He knows Geoff would never judge him, after all, Geoff is the one who has been constantly making efforts to bring Gavin and Michael to get together from the start, so it's only fair he hears it first from him. "Michael and I had an argument outside, I told him how I felt and we... kissed?"

Geoff grins widely. "I know, I saw from the window," he admits, though Gavin can't bring himself to be in the least annoyed. "I'm so happy for you, buddy! It was about damn time, too." He pats Gavin’s arm a couple of times, the grin on his face doesn’t falter. “He went home, though?”

Gavin shrugs. “It’s late. We can hang out tomorrow at work or something.”

Geoff moves back and nods. "Now don't go 'round making out in the office."

Gavin blushes and shakes his head. "I wouldn't do that." Geoff gives him a knowing look and Gavin sighs. "Fine, I would. But I won't. Besides I don't know if I'm ready to tell everyone. I mean, I'm okay with you knowing, you cheeky bastard, but Jack, Ryan and Ray... too soon I guess."

"One step at a time, buddy." Geoff smiles and stretches his arms over his head. "Bed time. I’m glad tonight was good for you,” he says with a smile and lets his arms drop to his sides. “Night, Gavvers."

"Night Geoff," Gavin says and sets to finish his beer. A few moments later, as he gets ready for bed, he feels his phone vibrate on his nightstand. He looks at it to see a new text message from Michael. 

_Goodnight, boi. Love you._

Gavin's stomach clenches and his heart flutters in his chest. He grins widely and types a reply. 

_Goodnight, Michael. Love you too._

Later, he falls asleep and doesn't dream. His heart stays warm all night.

* * *

The next morning, Gavin's stomach is in knots. He has to go to the office and see Michael, and his insecurities flourish. He wonders if anyone will be there already when he gets there, specifically Michael. Should they kiss? He's not sure. The moment he steps into the office he knows he can't; Ray and Jack are already seated in their respective spots. 

Gavin sighs, his heart slowly unclenching from the nerves. He greets his friends and sits on his chair. He moves to set everything up and a few minutes pass when he hears steps. His stomach knots up and he looks at the door, but Geoff walks in, not Michael and he purses his lips. 

"Good morning everyone!" he greets and Ray and Jack grunt in response. "Got held back by Matt," he tells as he takes a seat at his desk. "Wanted to go over some RvB shit and asked me to come talk to him after lunch, so maybe we could do two let's plays instead of one this morning?"

"Sure, no problem," Jack answers. "It's not like we've never done that before. What do we have scheduled?"

"Well, we have the GTA 'Things to Do' and maybe we could do-" Geoff starts to explain, but gets interrupted by Michael walking into the office in an obvious hurry. 

"Shit, guys, sorry I'm late! Hey!" he says, a little out of breath. He looks at Gavin with a warm smile on his face. "Hey Gavin." His voice is soft, unusually so, and Gavin wonders if the rest of the guys picked up on it. 

"Just fuck already," Ray chimes in unenthusiastically. Yup, they noticed. However, it's not a rare occurrence; they're known for their flirting, so this shouldn't raise any suspicions. 

"Oh, they totally have," laughs Geoff, and Gavin glares at him. He wants to murder him. 

"Morning, guys!" Ryan greets, suddenly as he walks in and joins the others, laptop in hand. Everyone says their hellos, and get to work. 

The morning goes by as they usually do; a lot of laughter and banter, Gavin messing up and making loud noises as Michael yells at him, and the rest laughing and joking around. By the time they're done, all Gavin wants is to get up from his chair and kiss Michael soundly. Yet, he knows he can't do it, not in front of everybody. So, instead, he stretches. "I'm going for a wee," he announces and pointedly looks at Michael, hoping he'll take the hint. 

Gavin leaves the office and makes his way to the bathroom. A minute passes and he's about to give up and go back when he hears footsteps. He smiles when Michael appears and closes the door behind him. He bends over to check if any of the stalls is busy. 

"We're alone," Gavin says and watches Michael take two long strides forward and close the distance between them. He kisses Gavin with such desperation, Gavin can feel some of the wind knocked out of him. Still, he kisses back with the same fervor, and only a few moments later does he pull away. 

Michael presses their foreheads together and grabs Gavin's hips. "I've wanted to do that all morning."

Gavin smiles and cups Michael's face in his hands. He can't believe he gets to do this now - to kiss Michael this way and to touch him however he wants to. Well, not exactly - if it were up to Gavin, they'd be fucking by now. But this'll do for the moment. It's enough for him to be able to kiss Michael, even in a restroom at work. "Well, you're a good actor, because I couldn't tell," Gavin says with a smile. 

Michael's grip on Gavin's hips tightens a bit, and he moves his head to the side of his friend's face, kissing the stubble and skin. "I've been twitchy all morning, Gav."

The blond laughs and he moves Michael's face so they're staring at each other again, and he kisses him chastely a couple of times. "I was kinda nervous, to be honest. But I guess everything's gone better than I expected."

They kiss again, this time more deeply, and just as they begin to get lost in the sounds and warmth coming from the other, the door opens, and they bolt back, eyes wide open like a deer's caught on headlights. 

Adam walks in, and immediately stops in his tracks. He squints his eyes at his coworkers for a second, looking slightly taken aback. "Um, sorry guys. Were you... talking or something?" The last word comes out in a rather accusatory manner, and both Michael and Gavin shake their heads quickly. 

"Nah, man. We were just..." Michael begins, but trails off. 

"Deciding what to get for lunch! Want to join us?" Gavin asks. He hopes they've dodged that bullet. 

Adam scratches his beard, seemingly not convinced, but he lets it pass. "Thanks, guys, but I'm heading out with Joel in a minute. Next time," he tells them with a smile and goes about his business. 

Michael and Gavin leave the restroom quickly, both visibly nervous. "Shit," Michael breathes out. 

"Indeed," Gavin agrees, and he looks at Michael. He wants to kiss him again, regardless of how shaken he feels at the moment. It's almost as if Michael holds power over him, which isn't news to anyone, lest him. Michael's always been able to affect Gavin in one way or another, and this time it's no different. "Do you think he saw?" he asks. 

Michael shrugs, looking calmer than Gavinz surely. "I don't know. But if he did, I don't think he'll tell anyone," he tells Gavin, and Gavin nods. 

Michael looks around, and seeing no one, he leans in and steals another kiss from Gavin; this time it's gentle and soft. It makes Gavin's heart beat faster. They smile at each other and hear the tap running inside the restroom, signaling that Adam is done with whatever he came to do in there. 

"So, let's get lunch!" Michael exclaims and takes Gavin by the sleeve of his shirt towards the front of the house. If they're going to play this game of hide and seek, they're going to have to play it well.

* * *

A week goes by and things could not be better; their relationship hasn't changed in the everyday aspect. They banter, laugh and call each other names, just as they've always done, especially around their friends; however, certain things _have_ changed, if only for the better. 

The pent up tension is gone for the most part; being able to freely touch and kiss each other has lifted the heaviest weight off their shoulders. They've been able to explore one another in ways they've wanted to for the longest time; at first it was all awkward movements and bumping into one another - hands everywhere and teeth clashing. After a few days, they slowed down the pace and took their time when alone; finally, after trying every way and combination, they finally figured it out. Gavin can remember perfectly every small detail of the first time they had satisfying sex. Michael had been on top, trying his best to go slow and build up momentum as he thrust into Gavin. After a few minutes of moving together and kissing, Michael finally managed to get a good angle and Gavin gasped deeply. From that moment on, everything worked much better for them.

Michael has never been opposed to having a dick up his ass; he has actually had more than one and really enjoyed it. But so did Gavin, so once they felt more comfortable, they would switch positions and both would be happy.

Still, what happens behind closed doors is different from what happens in public. They do their best so that they don't do anything that might give them away, though it's been proven to be very difficult; all the Brit wants most of the day is to either snuggle up to Michael and act like a dork around him (which he usually does anyway) or fuck him senseless against a wall (which he definitely hasn't done). It's the same for Michael, he's admitted. Both need the other and having so many people around them all day can get really frustrating when trying to keep erections hidden. So they control themselves, as much as possible; Gavin's never been good at hiding how much Michael means to him anyway.

It takes a month for them to fuck up. Only one month of outmost secrecy that's just too much. Michael is at the Achievement Hunter office working on editing his last Rage Quit video. Ray and Geoff are talking about music or something - Michael isn't paying attention, while Jack sits at his desk playing Destiny (as per usual). 

Gavin walks into the office, smile on his face upon seeing Michael. Something about seeing Michael there, even if it's the way he always looks, makes Gavin's heart swell in his chest. He leans in without thinking and kisses Michael tightly on the lips, just for a fleeting second, and pulls back, immediately realizing his mistake. He stares at Michael with wide eyes, and Michael mirrors his expression. "Um..."

"Did you just..." Ray begins. Geoff stifles a laugh, and Jack remains oblivious, still focused on his game.

"Um, I..." Gavin stutters and his face reddens. 

Michael gulps and grips the handles of his chair. Gavin can tell, by the look on his boyfriend's face (he loves the sound of that), that Michael's decided something, and Gavin can only guess that he knows exactly what it is. "Ray, Jack," he says loudly, catching the latter's attention. "Me and Gavin are a thing."

Jack furrows his eyebrows, obviously confused. "You've always been a thing, what do you mean?"

Gavin turns to look at Jack, and tries to push his nervousness aside. "We are dating."

Jack laughs. "Right, it's not even April's Fools, guys."

Michael rolls his eyes and stands up. He grabs Gavin's face and kisses him, quickly, but deeply, to prove his point.

"Whoa, okay, what the fuck?" Jack says, eyes wide in sincere surprise.

"How, when, what?" Ray asks, his mind reeling. He looks at Geoff, who's on his chair watching the exchange with a rather amused look on his face. "And how come Geoff looks like- wait, did he know?"

"Yeah, he knew," Gavin says as he sneaks a hand towards Michael's and intertwines their fingers together. "It's rather new, so you're the first ones to know, aside from Geoff."

"Can't say I didn't see this one coming," Jack says and raises his hands defensively as the couple squint their eyes at him. "Hey, I'm not the one who’s all over Michael all the time." 

He lets his hands drop. "All I'm saying is, you didn't exactly hide it. I'm not surprised, but I didn't know it had happened already. But congrats, guys."

Ray nods. "Yeah, I'm happy for you. You two can finally blow off some steam with each other," he jokes, and Michael playfully kicks his leg. Ray laughs and shakes his head. "Just, you know, don't fuck in the office. Or while we're recording. You don't wanna feed the creeps on tumblr."

"Wait, or do you?" Geoff chimes in, and Michael and Gavin look at each other for a moment. They haven't talked about it yet.

"I guess, well," Gavin begins after considering it, "we have to tell people here first. Then we can come out to the rest."

Michael looks pleased with that. "Sounds sensible."

Later that day, they pull Ryan aside at the dining area and tell him; no beating around the bush or anything. A simple, "we need to talk to you. We're dating. Ray and Jack just found out this morning." Because they know Ryan can take the news without freaking out. 

"Wow, well that's a surprise." Ryan smiles and pats them both on the shoulder. "Finally! That's great. How long?"

"About a month," Gavin says. "We didn't want to say anything at first, but..."

"It was time, you know?" Michael finishes for Gavin.

Ryan raises an eyebrow. "Wow, a month and you're already finishing each other's sentences."

"Oh, sod off," Gavin laughs. "We've known each other for a long time, so it's not that weird, is it?"

Ryan smiles. "I know, I'm just messing with you." He crosses his arms and his smile widens. “I’m glad you guys finally decided to get together,” he says with a nod.

Suddenly, Ryan's phone goes off, so he excuses himself and leaves the room to answer.  


Michael smiles widely at Gavin. "We kind of are a couple of cheesy bastards."

Gavin moves closer to him and grabs him by the hips. "I know," he agrees and kisses Michael deeply. He's sure this happiness will never leave him. At least he hopes so, because it's the best he's felt in a while.

* * *

"That's the worst fucking hypothetical question I've ever heard," Gus complains from his seat behind the microphone. 

"You hate any hypothetical question," Barbara points out and takes a sip of her beer. "Anyway, it's perfectly possible."

Burnie laughs. "I really doubt someone in their right mind would do something like that."

Gavin's twitchy and quiet, which is something very unlike him. Throughout the entire podcast Burnie has raised his eyebrow at Gavin many times, signaling him to talk more, to say something relevant and to stop moving his feet so much. But Gavin can't help himself; after all this time, four months, he and Michael have finally decided to come out. They're about to tell everyone that they're a couple and he couldn't be more nervous. 

Michael is standing off to the side, waiting for the podcast to be almost over so he can join them and give their big announcement. 

They've talked about it many times. At first, it was only the Achievement Hunter crew who knew, then it was Barbara, then Lindsay (who squealed for at least two days whenever she saw them together), then Burnie after finding them kissing behind some props, and after a while, all of Rooster Teeth. Everyone reacted well, which not only was a big relief for not having to hide anymore, but also because now they could allow themselves to kiss and act coupley whenever they wanted, even if people mockingly gagged whenever they saw. 

However, after four months of being together, and knowing things were pretty stable and serious, they knew that the audience were the last ones to know. And now here they are, about to come out publicly, and Gavin can barely keep himself in the least calm.

"Okay, we need to wrap this up," Gus announces. 

This is it. 

Gavin looks at Burnie; he's supposed to prompt them into giving everyone the good news. Gavin and Michael talked to him last week and explained the reasoning behind their decision to be public about their relationship, to which Burnie agreed and offered them a space in the podcast. 

"Right, so before we go, Michael and Gavin have some news for everyone at home," Burnie says and motions Michael to join them and asks for someone to hook Michael with a microphone.

After he's hooked and seated next to Gavin, everyone sits quietly and waits. "Hey, everyone at home!" Michael greets and smiles. He lays a hand on Gavin's thigh - nothing strange or suspicious yet. 

"So, you wanted to tell the viewers and listeners of the podcast something," Gus prompts.

"Let me go on Twitter first. I want to read about their reactions," Burnie says and goes on twitter on his laptop, ready for the wave of tweets they'll receive.

"So okay, this is sort of old news, but we wanted to tell you guys at home," Michael begins. "And this is good news, so we hope you'll be happy and cool about it, just as everyone at Rooster Teeth has been."

Gavin nods; he can almost feel his heart threatening to jump out of his ribcage. Still, he musters up enough courage to speak. "Right, so the news is that Michael and I are together as a couple. We have been for a few months, and we've discussed telling you for a while. It hasn't been easy and it still isn't. So as Michael said, we hope you'll respect us and be happy for us, because we are."

"Hashtag Mavin," Barbara says lowly into her microphone, making everyone laugh. 

"Thank you guys for coming out and being awesome. Here at Rooster Teeth we make it a point to be accepting, loving and just nice to people. We love Michael and Gavin separately, as well as love them together," Burnie adds; as usual, he is much better with words, especially when addressing the audience. "So we hope you at home won't stop loving these two, either."

Kara cheers behind cameras and everyone laughs and joins in. Suddenly everyone is clapping and Gavin smiles a little more confidently. He puts his hand on top of Michael's on his thigh and squeezes it. 

Burnie proceeds to read some of the tweets with the hashtag “Mavin” and Gavin can't stop himself from grinning. There's love and support, and as he turns to look at Michael, all he can concentrate on is his smile, and he thinks he's finally done it. He's happy and glad that he and Michael decided to leave their egos behind and take the risk.

FIN


End file.
